The Bomb Vessel by Richard Woodman Read Free Book Online Page B

difficulty. Several times he raised his head to speak, then thought better of it.
    ‘Damn it Ned,’ broke in Drinkwater impatiently, ”tis a woman or ‘tis money, confound it, no man could haver like this for ought else.’
    ‘Both Nat, both.’ Edward seized on the opportunity and the words began to tumble from him. ‘It is a long story, Nat, one that goes back ten or more years. You recollect after mother died and you married, I went off to Enfield to work for an India merchant, with his horses. I learned a deal about horses, father was good with ‘em too. After a while I left the nabob’s employ and was offered work at Newmarket, still with horses. I was too big to race ‘em but I backed ‘em and over a long period made enough money to put by. I was lucky. Very lucky. I had a sizeable wager on one occasion and made enough in a single bet to live like a gentleman for a year, maybe two if I was careful.’ He sighed and passed a hand over his sweating face.
    ‘After the revolution in France, when the aristos started coming over there were pickings of all sorts. I ran with a set of blades. We took fencing lessons from an impoverished marquis, advanced an old dowager some money on her jewels, claimed the debt
    well, in short, my luck held.
    ‘Then I met Pascale, she was of the minor nobility, but penniless. She became my mistress.’ He paused to drink and Drinkwater watching him thought what a different life from his own. There were common threads, perceptible if you knew how to identify them. Their boyhood had been dominated by their mother’s impecunious gentility, widowed after their drunken father had been flung from a horse. Nathaniel was careful of money, neither unwilling to loot a few gold coins from an American prize when a half-starved midshipman, nor to lean a little on the well-heeled Mr Jex. But where he had inherited his mother’s shrewdness Edward had been bequeathed his father’s improvidence as he now went on to relate.
    ‘Things went well for a while. I continued to gamble and, with modest lodgings and Pascale to keep me company, managed to cut a dash. Then my luck changed. For no apparent reason. I began to lose. It was uncanny. I lost confidence, friends, everything.
    ‘Nathaniel, I have twenty pounds between me and penury. Pascale threatens to leave me since she has received an offer to better herself
    ‘ He fell silent.
    ‘As another man’s mistress?’
    Edward’s silence was eloquent.
    ‘I see.’ Drinkwater felt a low anger building up in him. It was not enough that he should have spent a great deal of money in fitting out His Britannic bloody Majesty’s bomb tender Virago. It was not enough that the exigencies of the service demanded his constant presence on board until sailing, but that this good-for-nothing killbuck of a brother must turn up to prey on his better nature.
    ‘How much do you want?’
    ‘Five hundred would
    ‘
    ‘Five hundred! God’s bones, Edward, where in the name of Almighty God d’you think I can lay my hands on five hundred pounds?’
    ‘I heard you did well from prize money
    ‘
    ‘Prize money? God, Ned, but you’ve a damned nerve. D’you know how many scars I’ve got for that damned prize money, how many sleepless nights, hours of worry
    ? No, of course you don’t. You’ve been cutting a dash, gaming and whoring like the rest of this country’s so-called gentry while your sea-officers and seamen are rotting in their wooden coffins. God damn it, Ned, but I’ve a wife and family to be looked to first.’ His temper began to ebb. Without looking up Edward muttered:
    ‘I heard too, that you received a bequest.’
    ‘Where the hell d’you learn that?’ A low fury came into his voice.
    ‘Oh, I learned it in Petersfield.’ That would not be difficult. There were enough gossips in any town to know the business of others. It was true that he had received a sizeable bequest from the estate of his former captain, Madoc Griffiths. ‘They say it